MAURICIO POCHETTINO has challenged his Tottenham side to draw a line under their dismal Champions League campaign by finally making Wembley feel like home.

The north London club’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the competition ended prematurely after defeat in Monaco last month.

But the damage to Tottenham's ambitions was done when they failed to claim a single point from home games against the French side and Bayer Leverkusen, raising questions about the impact of switching the ties to Wembley.

Pochettino’s team will wrap up their group games when CSKA Moscow – currently rooted at the foot of Group E – visit tomorrow night and they need to avoid defeat if they are to secure a spot in the Europa League.

Dropping into European football’s second competition marks a bitter disappointment but the manager believes the prospect of playing more games at Wembley will only benefit his players ahead of next season when the national stadium is likely to become the club’s temporary home while White Hart Lane is redeveloped.

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Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham side need to avoid defeat to secure a Europa League spot

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Tottenham's Champions League hopes were dashed when they lost to Bayer Leverkusen

Mauricio Pochettino admits the fact the Europa League offers a route back into next term’s Champions League is another powerful incentive to quickly bounce back and re-train sights on a fresh target.

“We need to focus on game ahead and the most important is against CSKA,” said the Tottenham manager. “We need to win. We need to make Wembley our home and I think it’s not fair to blame Wembley.

“We didn’t play well in both games against Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen, that’s why we’re out of Champions League – we don’t need to find excuses.

“We didn’t play well, and for that we are out. It’s a good opportunity to win tomorrow, take three points, start another competition – the Europa League. It’s important for the club.

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Jan Vertonghen signed a new contract last week to keep him at Tottenham until 2019

“To be out of the Champions League is important for different reasons. We have the chance to play more games at Wembley, next season we will play a lot of games there.

“It is a great chance to get experience at Wembley and make it our home. And then, for the squad to be involved in different competitions. We have a lot of young players who need experience to play in Europe.

“Also, I think we maybe have struggled to cope with the pressure of Champions League and Premier League, but now is a good chance to show we have learned from experience in the Champions League and try, why not Tottenham to go far in that competition?”

Pochettino admits the Europa League is a hard-sell to those supporters desperate to see the club establish itself among the elite.

But he said: “It’s important to be positive. True it will be tough to be involved in the Europa League again but if we can’t cope with the pressure to play in Champions League or don’t show we deserve to qualify, it means now our responsibility is try to win tomorrow, go to Europa League and do our job and go far in that competition.

“Maybe it’s a good opportunity to win a trophy. Why not? I am always positive.

“You compete with very good clubs in Europe but it’s true it’s a shorter way to get back into to the Champions League. It is one possibility more.”

Pochettino revealed fit-again Toby Alderweireld will return to the squad for the first time since mid-October but distanced himself from reports the centre-back has a £25million buy-out clause in his current contract.

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“I don’t know the details of the players’ contracts but I think not one player has a buy-out clause in England,” said the manager. “After four years here I never heard that. For that maybe it’s a detail I really don’t know. Will he get a new contract? You need to wait. It is a private matter.”

Jan Vertonghen signed a new contract last week that will keep him at the club until 2019 and the centre-back insisted he agreed the deal because of the progress Spurs have made since he arrived at the club from Ajax.

“A lot has changed since I came here five years ago and only in positive way,” he said. “The new training ground, a new manager, new staff, a lot of new players and new mentality.

“In two years we move to new stadium, and Tottenham have shown it can compete with biggest clubs in league as every player wants at Tottenham.

“That’s why so many players have signed new deals over last couple of months – they all believe in this club, what’s happening at Tottenham. You all saw it last year.”